Do We or Don't We?
by waterfaye13
Summary: There seems to be a time in every friendship where you come to a tipping point: do you or don't you? These friends gradually decide they do. This is CaptainSwanQueen fanfiction- because when you have a ship that no one appears to be sailing, you just have to captain it yourself.
1. Chapter 1

_There seems to be a time in every friendship where you come to a tipping point: do you or don't you? These friends gradually decide they do._

Regina looked up to a rap on her door. The blonde opening the door to Regina's office gave a grin and leaned on the doorframe.

"Excuse me, Mayor Mills? Do you have time for a coffee break?" Regina flashed a quick responding smile before looking back at the papers on her desk.

"Just give me a minute- I'm almost done here." Regina made a few quick notes on a document, shuffled it and a few more papers into a file folder, and then placed it in a desk drawer.

"About time!" The blonde said, pushing off of the frame as Regina quickly grabbed her scarf and coat from the rack next to her door.

"Oh please _Miss Swan_, if I had to set my clock by you, I'd be late to everything." Regina used the title mockingly- a call back to the days before she and Emma had worked out their differences and found they had more in common than either of them could have realized.

Emma smiled and nudged Regina's shoulder with her own.

"Lucky I have you then, to keep me on track."

After a short coffee break at Granny's, once back in her office, Regina stopped for a second and thought about her relationship with Emma. It was strange that only a few years ago, any relationship they had was one of mutual dislike at best and now Emma was her best friend.

With Emma in it, her life felt fuller- like having someone she could go out to coffee with, confide in, and share Henry with was something she'd always been missing without realizing.

Regina shook her head slightly at her own musings and returned her attention to the paperwork on her desk. A few more hours here and she would see what her son was up to.

(A few days later)

Regina scowled at the zoning request forms that had somehow come apart and scattered itself around her living room and grabbed her wine glass from the coffee table. She took a moment to lean against the couch from where she was sitting on carpet and take a long sip of wine.

The short moment of zen was interrupted by the front door opening, bringing a chatty pair as Henry and Emma walked in, apparently discussing the movie they had just gone to see and how much it "followed the comics." Regina watched the two interact animatedly for a few minutes. Emma appeared to be trying to use adult-logic as rationale for some scenes that didn't fit what Henry had expected from the movie and Henry wasn't having any of it.

"Kid, there are so many different universes in these comic books- how can the writers possibly hope to connect to all of them in two hours?" Emma asked, exasperated.

"By making the movie longer!" Henry exclaimed. "Who would go see a 10-hour movie about superheroes?" "I would!" The two devolved into laughter at this exchange, and Regina worked her way to her feet, a smile growing at the sound.

"Hey mom! Emma took me to the best movie.. Well, it could have been better, but apparently no one has time for that. Maybe next time, you can come with!" Henry said in a rush as he gave Regina a hug.

"Maybe." Regina said with a smile. "Is all of your homework done?" Henry looked guilty. "Almost…"

"Go on, go finish it, and then if you're hungry, I think there is some meatloaf in the fridge from yesterday."

"Will do! And I'm not really hungry- Emma took me to Granny's for burgers before the movie" "Burgers and a movie on a school night? All before your homework is done? Lucky boy" Regina raised an eyebrow that encouraged the energetic twelve-year-old to get the hint and run up the stairs to his remaining schoolwork.

"Hey Regina" Emma said warmly. "Don't 'Hey Regina' me- you're in trouble too" Regina said teasingly, earning a slightly guilty look from Emma that nearly mirrored the one Regina had just received from her son.

"Sorry- I didn't know that he hadn't finished his homework, or else I definitely would have insisted on that instead of dinner out!" Emma said with a half-pout clearly designed to garner Regina's sympathy. Which, it pulled off successfully…

Regina uncharacteristically stuck her tongue out at Emma and walked into the kitchen, pulling a wine glass out of the cabinet, tilting it in question at Emma. Emma nodded. "Granny is lending me Ruby tomorrow so I don't have to be at the office right away." Emma explained as she gathered Regina's glass from the living room and brought it to the kitchen for Regina to fill.

The two women took their wineglasses (and the bottle) into the living room and chatted about their days- shifting zoning paperwork as the wine worked its way into their systems. At one point, Regina found herself curled up on one end of the couch with a very sleepy blonde head of hair resting just beneath her chin. Regina lifted a tentative hand and slowly stroked Emma's hair, playing with the silky golden strands.

Emma looked up at Regina. "Mind if I stay here tonight? I probably shouldn't drive." She asked sleepily.

"Of course," Regina responded. "If you want, I can set up the guest room bed for you?"

Emma burrowed her head into Regina's chest. "No, I just wanna stay here." Regina was glad that Emma's eyes were covered, so she didn't notice the bright red blush working its way up Regina's neck. "Okay, I'll grab you a pillow and blanket then!" Feeling trapped, Regina moved Emma off of her and more fully onto the couch, and went to gather the necessary items for Emma's impromptu sleepover.

As she walked away, she missed the almost wistful look that was being aimed at her back.

AN: Hey, thanks for reading! If you have the time and can post a review with what you liked (or didn't) please do! I look forward to the feedback!

Thanks :) ~Waterfaye13


	2. Chapter 2

**Don't worry, Hookfans, you'll see some Killian in this chapter!**

Emma woke the next morning with a sense of guilt to notice that Henry had left for school and Regina had apparently already left for work. She put her hair into a ponytail and pulled on her boots and jacket before walking out the door. She drove to the station, blinking at the sunlight.

"Ruby?" Emma called as she walked into the station. "Do you have any aspirin? I have the mother of all headaches this morning" She asked, rubbing her eyes. She was met with responding giggles.

Ruby gave a wolf whistle. "Wow! Looks like you had fun last night! Hangover and the clothes from yesterday- whose bed did **you** sleep in?" Emma rolled her eyes.

"For your information, Regina and I had a bit too much to drink last night after I dropped Henry off and I just ended up spending the night on her couch."

"That's no fun." Ruby pouted. "Well, can I get you anything for—breakfast? I was about to go grab lunch and check in on Granny and I can pick something up for you."

"A grilled cheese and a mess of fries sound perfect right about now. And a Coke?" Ruby waved to indicate that she had heard as she walked out the door.

Emma pulled her cushy chair away from her desk and sank into it, leaning back and thinking about the night before. She enjoyed this friendship she had formed with Regina but something about last night felt… different. It had been so nice to snuggle with someone other than-

"With a smile like that, I hope you're thinking of me, luv." Emma opened her eyes to the destination of her mental snail trail strutting into her office and giving her a look that confirmed the conflict stirring in her mind.

"Hello Killian, what mischief are you up to today?" Emma asked, closing her eyes again.

"Mischief? You mistake my purpose. If I were up to _mischief_, I'd do something like-" Emma could hear the pirate moving across the room toward her and purposely waited until she could feel his breath on her face before opening her eyes. He had braced himself against the arms of her chair and was leaning over her, his face mere inches away from hers.

"Something like?" Emma asked, knowing she was testing him by the devilish spark in Killian's dark eyes.

"Something like this." Killian leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, lifting his hand to hold her face as he deepened the kiss.

Emma responded to the kiss for a while and then lifted her hands to press them against his chest and push him away with a long exhale. She and Killian had been doing this _thing_ for a while now- making out in back rooms and the office when it was empty- and she was starting to want more.

"Problem, luv?" Killian asked, sitting back on Emma's desk and tilting his head in question. Emma shook her head.

"What are we doing, Hook? This can't be good for either of us.." Emma trailed off, avoiding Killian's gaze.

"Emma, we've talked about this-" Killian started before Emma waved him off.

"I know, relationships aren't your thing, and even if they were, they really aren't mine- right? Ever since Neal-" Killian stood up with a shot at the mention of Henry's father. Emma knew that mentioning Neal was a surefire way to kill any remaining "mood" between them and keep Killian at the distance Emma needed him to be.

"Killian, I'm sorry, I just… I think we should back off of all of this. Try being friends. We've had this tension between us practically since we met and I think it would be better for us in the long run." Emma saw a flash of hurt go through Killian's eyes before the façade of the indifferent flirt covered it with a wink.

"Well, you let me know, when you fee like you can handle me" Killian said as he sauntered away. Emma sighed to herself as she watched him walk out. It would be a while before she felt willing to put her heart in danger of THAT kind.

* * *

It was a Friday night and Emma was itching to go out. To do SOMETHING with herself that didn't involve sitting on her couch and watching TV, so she gave Regina a call to see if she'd be interested in checking out The Rabbit Hole.

"THAT filthy place? Honestly Emma, I'd rather take all my meals for the week at Granny's rather than spend an evening there." Regina responded, her contempt obvious.

"Come on, Regina- they've really cleaned it up since Belle's 'Lacey' days, and you never know- it could be an adventure." Emma asked pleading. She could feel Regina's discomfort at the idea through the phone, but she really wanted to bring her friend with her.

Emma heard a long sigh on the other side of the phone and felt her hopes rise. "Fine. You win. Henry is spending the night at Hansel- Nicholas- whatever… Come pick me up- if we're going to that hellhole I'm going to need to drink enough to severely impair my ability to drive afterwards."

"Yes! You won't be sorry! I'll be there in ten- make it 15- minutes oh, and Regina?" Emma asked, holding her breath a little at what she was going to ask next.

"Yes, what is it, Emma?"

"Wear something sexy." And with that brave request, Emma hung up the phone and smiled to herself, heading to her closet to find something to match the direction she'd just given Regina.

Soon she was on her way to pick up Regina, and as she pulled up to the mayor's house, she could see that her request had been accepted with Regina in a loose sweater dress that covered her body fully, yet outlined all of her curves perfectly.

Regina got in the car with a huff that was likely partially at Emma's insistence on her wardrobe and partially at the indignation of riding in Emma's cramped bug. Emma just gave her the winningest smile she could muster and pulled away from the curb, excited to start the girls' night.

* * *

Within no time at all, Regina had managed to get her self soundly drunk, to Emma's surprise. In all the time that she had been in Storybrooke, Regina had drank rarely and never to excess- the wine incident of a few weeks ago was an anomaly and Regina definitely wasn't this drunk that night.

"Emma, Emma, Emma! I **love** this song, don't you love this song?" Emma laughed a little at her friend's unusual enthusiasm and tilted her head to listen to the music and tried to identify the song. It was an old-school classic rock song with a swaying beat. Regina grabbed Emma's hand and pulled her towards the dance floor where a few of the bar's regulars were already cutting the proverbial rug.

The two friends laughingly spent a few minutes dancing, in a way that was more leaning on one another than actual dance. Emma looped her arms around Regina's waist while Regina held Emma's upper arms and rested her chin on Emma's shoulder.

"I don't think I can drive home." Emma was surprised at how her voice presented.

"Oh! You know who we could call?" Regina, with increased energy, toddled back to the table where they had left their bags and reached for Emma's phone. By the time Emma had caught up to her, Regina had already dialed whomever she had in mind and was holding the phone to her ear.

"Hellooooo Sailor!" Regina said giggling as whomever she dialed picked up.

"No, this is Regina… Yes, Emma is here… Maybe… Could you pick us up? Neither of us can drive… The Rabbit Hole, which I wasn't expecting to like, but I must say I'm pleasantly surprised… Yes that works. Thank you!" Regina then hung up the phone and smiled at Emma.

"And who was that?" Emma asked, confused.

"You'll see." Regina said, tapping the side of her nose. Emma sighed and sat down at the table, signaling the bartender for one more round as they waited for their mysterious ride home.

Moments later, Emma realized who Regina must have called, as a pirate walked into the bar.

"Ready to go?" Killian asked the two women. Regina nodded and grabbed her purse, wrapping an arm around Killian with a familiarity that obviously surprised him. Emma chuckled a bit, and linked arms with Killian's arm on his free side, leaning on him a bit.

"Take us home, Captain Hook."

_AN: Hey guys, thanks for reading! Again, please review/message if you have any comments or questions! ~Waterfaye13_


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is a little short, but please enjoy! ****J**

Walking out of the bar, Killian quickly identified two problems. The first being that he didn't have any way of getting these two women home, he couldn't have driven Emma's car even if he wanted to make an attempt at the infernal contraption. The second being he was in severe danger at making a fool of himself with two extremely beautiful, and at this moment, extremely affectionate females.

"Shite, what the bloody hell am I going to do with you lot?" He muttered under his breath as Regina grabbed his backside and Emma bit his ear.

"I could give you a few suggestions." The blonde whispered huskily.

Killian chuckled. "I'm sure you could, luv, but nothing I'm sure you'd like done in public."

"What about your ship?" Regina suggested. "We could… Sober up a little?"

"An excellent idea, your Majesty- a short walk, and we'll get you two tucked in." Killian only hoped he could last that long.

The three made it to the ship, and Killian escorted the women to his quarters. "If only we were here under different circumstances." He murmured wistfully to himself as he helped Regina and Emma onto his bed. Emma immediately snuggled into Regina and Regina- well, safe to say, tousled hair became the Mayor.

As Killian turned to leave the women to sleep off their night of adventure, he was stopped by a small voice. "Hook?" He turned to see two sets of eyes; one green and one brown staring back at him.

"Where are you going?" Regina asked. Killian couldn't tell who he was more jealous of- Emma for her place against Regina's chest or Regina for the arm she had casually placed around Emma's shoulders. Regina reached her free hand out to him. And damn him, Killian took it. He found himself sitting on the edge of the bed, and the three exchanged looks.

Tension filled the air, as if they were on a verge of something that none knew how to start, or if they should.

"Oh screw this." Regina said and grabbed Emma's face to pull it towards her. She kissed Emma hard and long, as Killian had been longing to do ever since Emma had labeled them "just friends," and Emma returned in kind. Hook stood, and was about to make an exit, when he felt his coat being grasped from behind by two sets of hands.

He turned to find both women staring him down.

"Where do you think you're going?" Regina asked as she pulled him down to join them on the bed. "Let's just, get this out of the way." She said, removing his hook. "And this." Emma said, removing his jacket. Killian closed his eyes, sure that he was either being punished, or rewarded for having daydreams of this very instance.

Regina took his face in her hands, rubbing the stubble on his cheek and pulled him in for a kiss. He could feel Emma to the side of him attempting to continue to address him, kissing each inch of skin she bared. Although he'd never consciously thought of Regina in this context, he had to admit that after this, he would never think of her any other way.

Fumbling hands on heated skin showed the desperation they all felt. Soon, clothes covered the room and each was focused on the discovering the others' bodies. Hook felt distracted- one minute running his hands down the length of Emma's body, exploring its curves as the two women kissed, and taking control of Regina's mouth the next as Emma did some exploring of her own.

There was no jealousy, no feelings of being left out at any moment. Just a feeling of rightness. Even when Regina and Emma seemed to turn the whole of their attentions to each other, Killian merely sat back and watched, stroking Regina's back, tangling his fingers in Emma's hair, knowing that they would incorporate him when the rhythm of their lovemaking turned its way back to him.

Minutes or hours later, the three lay tangled, no sense of where one stopped and another began, and happily sated. Killian kissed each head and accepted the hand Emma offered, nudging Regina's foot with his own as they all fell asleep.

Killian woke feeling more refreshed than he could remember in a long time, remnants of a forgotten happy dream lingering on the edges of his mind. He opened his eyes against the rising sun to see part of his dream, at least, might have been true.

Emma lay on the opposite side of the bed, lost to the world. For a moment, he was filled with a sense of regret, of loss, that didn't match his typical feelings of self-satisfaction after a night of sex. He vaguely remembered picking her and Regina up from the bar, but in that case where was-? He looked around the room and saw pieces of clothing he could identify as being either belonging to himself or Emma, and.. there!

Killian stood, stalking naked across the room towards his prey: a pair of obviously sensible underwear that was sexy in its own way, but he would never find on Emma. He clutched the undergarment in his hand, knowing that it might be his only reminder of what had transpired the night before.

The next days passed in a haze, and Killian found himself staying aboard the Jolly Roger rather than force himself on the good people of Storybrooke. At first, he had tried talking to Regina or Emma, but both seemed hesitant to talk to him or each other and adamant against talking about their night together.

He could only remember feeling this way once before- as if life had no meaning and rum was the only cure to be found. _Heartbroken_. He grimaced at the thought. At least the last time he had felt this way, he had had his hatred for the crocodile to give purpose to his life. Now- there was no one to blame, just a feeling of emptiness and no sign of relief.

Killian knew that there was only one way to solve the way he felt- if he was lucky enough to have _two_ true loves- for he couldn't imagine loving one without the other- he would be damned if he would spend any more time without them. His misery was compounded by the idea that he knew what they could have- the three of them, together.

When he had tried to confront Regina or Emma in town, Killian could see it in their eyes. It wasn't a figment of his imagination- it wasn't a figment of the rum. They were hurting as badly as he- and he was determined to help them all.

_AN: As always, leave a review if you liked it, or if you didn't! ~Waterfaye13_


	4. Chapter 4

The sharp click-clack of Regina's heels followed her down the sidewalk as she quickly made her way from her parking spot to her office. A late start meant that her walk was longer than normal this morning, putting her in danger.

Head down, one hand firmly grasping her handbag, and the other a mug of coffee that momentarily took her attention, she wasn't paying attention to the path in front of her, or the man standing in her way. A few seconds, and a mug of spilled coffee later, she stood, soaked, staring at one of the two people she had been doing her best to avoid.

"You idiot!" She exclaimed, picking at her now-soaking wet blouse, trying to cool the hot liquid.

"Are you alright, luv? I thought you saw me- if you weren't trying so blasted hard to ignore me, you might have." Killian said, sloppily endeavoring to lend a hand to Regina's attempts before she batted him away.

"I wasn't trying to ignore you-" Killian rose an eyebrow. "This time. I just- I need to get cleaned up, can this wait?" Regina pushed past him, running into the Town hall building, making a beeline straight to her office.

Once inside, Regina quickly closed her door, pressing her head against the foggy glass, trying to maintain the emotions coursing through her.

_I can't deal with this- all of this- not right now. I can't see __**him**__ or __**her**__. I don't know what to do!_

Before Regina could stop herself, she felt a tear slide down her cheek. She sat down, leaning against the door and placed her mug beside her. She threw her purse at her desk and, disgusted, tore her shirt off. She crossed her arms, propping them on her knees and, as if to make herself as small as possible, tucked her head to stare at the floor, as her mind raced.

Before the other night, she thought her biggest problem was figuring out whether she even liked girls, or if it was just the beautiful daughter of her long-time foe. Now, now she had to worry that maybe she wasn't just attracted to her- maybe she loved her- loved her and a man she'd hardly given a second thought to. How well did she know either of them, really?

A rapping at the door interrupted her musings- inspiring a question of how long she had sat there.

"Regina? Regina, I know you're in there. Can I come in?" It was the pirate. Regina rolled her eyes. She thought she loved _him_? What was she thinking?

"One second." She said shortly, walking over to a drawer where she kept her emergency blouse. She pulled the replacement blouse on and was picking up her discarded items when her office door opened.

Face to face for the first time in weeks, Regina struggled to adopt her most mayoral tone as she placed herself safely behind her desk. "And what can I help you with, Mr. Hook?" Killian looked confused for a moment, then began to laugh

Regina was confused, what had she said that was so funny? She struggled to maintain composure, but Killian's laughter was filled with more than mirth- but relief, it seemed. It was infectious, and she soon herself submitting, she joined in- with small giggles that transformed into full laughter.

The two lost themselves in their laughter, and after a while, Regina realized Killian's laughter had subsided, and she calmed herself- "What was so funny, anyway?" She asked.

"You bloody well called me _Mister_ Hook, your Majesty." Killian said with a smirk. Regina smiled, but winced slightly at his use of her royal moniker- teasing aside.

"Yes well… What _do_ you want?" Regina asked again, sitting. The pirate frowned slightly, then covered with his typical haughty expression.

"Who says I want anything, luv? Maybe I just wanted a chat. Maybe I just wanted…" He gave a suggestive wink, which Regina quickly waved off.

"Of course. Well, I'm quite afraid that nothing of _that_ nature will ever happen, so if you have no other business, I'd like to get back to work." Regina gestured to untouched papers on her desk.

Killian raised an eyebrow, and then shrugged.

"Have it your way- I'll see myself out then." He said, swaggering out the door. "And Regina?" He said, turning for a moment. "I remember. And I know you do. And I know _she_ does. It was more than a night."

Before Regina had a chance to come up with a response, much less utter one- the pirate she had once nicknamed "Captain guyliner" walked out of her office.

It had been a long day, and it wasn't over yet. One of the prices Regina paid for her night of fun was a lovely moment of awkwardness when it came to the handing off of her son with his other mother.

Regina physically shook herself at that reminder. She had Henry tonight and was determined to make the most of it. She quickly ran through a mental checklist as she looked around the living room. It was a Friday night, so she had set up a movie night with a couple of Henry's favorite movies and a popcorn bar, complete with toppings- one of their favorite movie treats.

A quick knock at the door was quickly followed by the sound of the key in the door. She smiled sadly to herself at the reminder that although he was _her _son and he still had a key to the mansion, he felt the need to knock before entering- as if there was anything important here that he could interrupt.

"Hi Mom!" Henry said excitedly, and started to ramble on about the goings-on of his day. She tried to follow his train of conversation, but she quickly became lost in the pathways of his mind and just smiled to indicate she was attempting to listen.

"That's okay, right? I mean, I know it's our night, but I thought it might be fun." Henry asked, seeming almost nervous. Regina smiled and almost nodded before she realized she had completely missed the nature of his request.

"What was that?" She asked. Henry blushed and looked at the floor.

"I know you and Mo-Emma haven't been getting along lately. And I know it's our night, but I thought it might be fun to invite her to join us-maybe?" Henry asked in a rush.

Regina froze. As much as she wanted to give Henry anything- especially when he seemed to have difficulties asking, she didn't know if she could handle having Emma _here_, in her home. Henry looked up at Regina pleadingly, using his blue eyes to their fullest advantage. Regina shook her head, but changed her mind at the dropped expression on her son's face. She couldn't refuse him anything.

"Alright- you can invite her, but no pressuring her into coming if she doesn't want to!" Regina called after the spirited boy as he raced to the phone.

She sighed and picked up his bag, moved his shoes out of the main walkway and went to the kitchen. She poured, and quickly downed, a glass of wine. Her long day just got longer.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Emma pressed "End" after Henry's call. She had gotten halfway back to the loft when her phone rang with Henry's distinct tone, so she had pulled over to answer and heard his plea. Ever since she had accepted the role as one of Henry's moms, she had a hard time saying no to any reasonable request of his, so she agreed, of course, to his invitation to movie night. She and Regina had finally gotten to the point of friendship; when she had let her little crush overwhelm her sensibilities.

Of course Regina would only respond to Emma when alcohol was involved- and now that they were sober and in the clear light of not-Hook's ship, it was obvious that Regina wanted nothing to do with her. Killian was one thing- they had been back and forth so many times, that night had only emphasized their feelings for one another. But having Regina there- that had been like having a good thing, and then adding that one thing that just makes it perfect. And since then- the good, okay thing she had had with Killian just didn't seem like enough.

Emma didn't think she could handle seeing Regina right now- knowing what she did about Regina's feelings, or lack of. _But Henry…_ Emma rested her forehead on the steering wheel as she considered her options. She had already told Henry that she would come, so it was a hopeless exercise. She shook herself off, turned the key in her yellow bug's ignition, and headed to her doom, the Imperial March running through her head.

Luckily, Henry answered the door to the manor, and quickly put Emma at ease- taking her coat and running to show her the massive popcorn bar that Regina had set up.

"How many people are you guys expecting?" Emma asked him, eying the large bowl of popcorn.

"You and I both know our son could easily put that entire bowl of popcorn away himself- and where he got that particular skill" Regina said from the kitchen doorway. Emma turned to look at her, making a sincere effort to maintain eye contact with the brunette while incredibly grateful again that she is not a male.

If she had been, it would only be too evident to Henry and Regina herself how this woman's body affected Emma. Her dark hair was perfectly coiffed, as usual, driving Emma to mess it up, wearing her at-home clothes: a boat neck sweater that did nothing to conceal Regina's beautiful collarbones and the arch of her slender neck and soft grey slacks that were form-fitting but comfortable. Even the way she held her wineglass, which looked as though it may be on its second or third filling, her slender fingers wrapped loosely, yet determinedly around stem, led Emma to uses for those fingers that had nothing to do with holding a glass.

"Mom?" Henry was giving her a look and Emma realized that he was holding a small bowl of popcorn out to her, something he had probably doing for a while, she realized as she took it from him. She tried to hide her face as she felt the heat of a blush work its way up her neck.

As the three headed into the living room with their popcorn bowls, Henry appeared to have dismissed the weirdness, but Emma caught Regina giving her a strange look.

Emma had a hard time concentrating on the movie- it was obviously a superhero movie because it had been Henry's choice, but beyond that, she couldn't stay focused on anything when she felt Regina's gaze occasionally coming in her direction.

After the movie, it was time for Henry to go to bed so he gave both Emily and Regina hugs and went upstairs, leaving the two to stew in silence.

"Well, I-"

"Would you-?"

Emma and Regina had started speaking at the same time, and had immediately stopped. She could feel her blush returning and motioned for Regina to continue speaking.

"Would you like a glass of wine or-" apparently thinking better of it, Regina hastily changed her offer "a cup of coffee? I think I could use some coffee." Emma winced slightly. Regina obviously didn't need a cup of coffee; she was so jittery as she turned away to mess with something in the kitchen. Apparently she wasn't ready to introduce wine back into their relationship.

"No, I'm good- I can get out of your hair now that the kid is in bed." Emma said casually, desperately hoping that Regina wouldn't let her leave. The brunette stopped fussing with whatever she was doing in the kitchen and took a deep breath before turning back to Emma with a bright, and obviously fake, smile.

"You're not in my hair! We always hang out for a bit after he goes to bed anyway, why should tonight be any different?" Emma wasn't sure what was going through Regina's mind, but it was obvious that the older woman wanted to move past the incident of the other night. Even though every fiber of her being felt that loss, Emma forced a responding smile on her face- for Henry.

Regina finished making coffee and poured herself a cup while fixing a hot chocolate for Emma, adding a dollop of whipped cream and a cinnamon stick almost absentmindedly. The two women took their respective drinks into the living room.

And quickly realized they had nothing to say. After a few tenuous questions about each others' work and a short discussion on Henry's schoolwork, they found themselves in silence, drinking their hot beverages and looking around the room, as if trying to find something to talk about.

Emma finished her hot chocolate and stood- she couldn't take much more of this torture. Regina stood at the same time. Emma forced a smile.

"Thanks for having me over- and for the hot chocolate!" She announced, holding out her empty mug. Regina gave a quiet smile in response, taking the mug from the blonde's hand.

"No trouble at all- Henry loves having you and I know he feels better when the two of us are on good terms." Emma could swear Regina froze for a moment, but just as quickly, the polite smile was back.

More pleasantries were explained, and soon Emma was back in her bug, on her way home to her own- empty- bed.

Somewhere on the route home, Emma found herself in the parking lot of a bar, and not one to deny the musings of the subconscious that led her there, parked and went inside for a much-needed drink.

After taking a quick shot and grabbing a new drink, Emma found an empty pool table and started to rack up the balls. Right as she was lining up her first shot, she heard a throat clear behind her.

She turned to see the not-unwelcome sight of Killian with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Mind a partner?" He asked, brandishing a pool cue in his hand. Emma nodded as she took a drink.

"But I shoot first." She said, leaning back into position to break.

The two played in silence for a round, drinking and muddled in their own thoughts, although for all appearances, they were each focusing all of their attention on the game.

"Have you seen her?" Killian asked casually, as he watched Emma make her last shot, sinking the black 8 ball. Emma shrugged.

"Sure, just came from the mansion." She didn't look up, and instead began to gather the balls from their respective pockets. Killian helped her in silence, and as she began to rack the balls for round 2, she caught his eye. Curiosity shone there, but she knew he wouldn't ask.


	6. Chapter 6

Emma looked at Killian critically.

"What do you want?" She asked angrily.

"How is she? How are you?" Killian asked gently. Emma's frown softened slightly and she sighed.

"As well as can be expected, I suppose. It's just awkward now, like because of that night we can't be friends anymore- at least not the friends we were. And we sure as hell can't be all that I wish we could." Emma fiddled with her pool cue, her eyes downcast. A part of Killian's heart broke the sadness she portrayed.

"You love her." It was a fact, but one that none of them had yet voiced. Emma looked at him and shrugged, a wry smile taking place of the frown.

"Yeah, I do." She looked about to say more and then looked away, lost in a stray thought. Killian sat quietly. It was one thing to have this fear floating-this thought that that night had been an awakening for these two women to their feelings for each other, and that any feelings he had for them might be in the way, and it was another to have the fear realized, made true.

"But I love you too." Emma said softly. Killian jerked in surprise at the affectionate look on her face.

"I feel like, with all this talk of true love in this town and the land we all came from, I felt like my feelings for one of you would pass- but the way you challenge me and she tries to dominate our interactions… I can't help it. I love both of you."

Killian had no words at first, so he did what he and Emma did best. He grabbed the back of her neck with his hand and pulled her in for a crushing kiss. Their pool cues slipped to the floor as they embraced each other, but they couldn't be bothered to notice the reactions, if any, of their fellow bar mates. When he finally pulled back, he moved his mouth to her ear and said, "I love you too, Emma."

"We've done this dance before, Hook- you always end up walking." Emma said, pulling away. Killian rubbed his neck and grimaced. He knew what had happened before but things were different now.

"It wasn't enough- the two of us- we were never enough for each other." Killian said, frustrated.

"You walked too- I think we were always looking for more- for her." He added.

"That seems like an awful lot of pressure to put on her." Emma said quietly, looking down. And with that, Killian knew they could make this work. He grabbed her hand, pulled her close again, and rested his forehead on hers.

"Maybe." He muttered. "But what if we could convince her it was- we were- worth it?"

Regina barely had time to register the knock at her office door when it opened, as evidenced by the look on her face. Killian smiled. Good. She couldn't run if she was taken unaware.

"Hello." Regina said politely, putting her pen down and tightly interlocking her fingers. Killian could see her wall coming down, her eyes shuttering at his and Emma's intertwined hands. He gave Emma's hand a squeeze and then let go, sharing a look meant to bolster both of their confidences as they took on this fight together. This fight for her.

"What brings you both here today?" Regina asked calmly, gesturing to the two chairs across the desk from her, indicating that they sit. They denied her offer, per the game plan they had developed the night before. They would knock these emotional walls down and keep her off balance enough to keep them down while they showed her how much they both cared.

The two circled Regina's desk from either side, and Killian watched as her cool veneer melted into a look of panic. He gently pulled her chair out enough so he and Emma could both kneel next to her. "You do." Emma said, drawing her attention. Regina looked at her in confusion.

"We came here to tell you we love you." Killian said, his heart pounding in his chest. Regina's look of confusion was now directed his way.

"Both of you? So what is this- you want me to choose between you? Is this some kind of joke?" Regina's past hurts shone through and Killian smothered a slight smile.

"No dear, I know how well I'd fare if that were the decision we were putting to you." He said, self-deprecatingly. Emma shot him a look from behind Regina, silently chastising him.

"We love each other as well." She said, giving voice to her admonishing look.

"It's unconventional, obviously, but that is who we are. Unconventional characters." Killian added.

"What exactly are you suggesting, that the three of us be together?" Regina was obviously trying to belittle the emotions they were demonstrating, but her words lacked the cruel bite they had had when she was an evil queen and a hope shone in her eyes that she couldn't conceal.

"I don't know how we're going to make this work and right now, I really don't care. I deserve my happy ending- and so do both of you- and I, in my wretched pirate's heart, believe that the two of you are my happy ending. You have been through so much with me over the past few years and I know that whatever we encounter, we will succeed as long as we are all together."

"Regina, Killian and I have tried being together and we're okay-but that's the best we can get- **okay**. Only when we're with you does it mean anything. We need you." Emma reached out her hand and grabbed Regina's. Regina looked down at their interlocked fingers and gave a timid smile.

"I love you both too. I just couldn't believe that you would both feel the same…" Emma and Killian's smiles grew at that response.

"My swan princess and evil queen, what am I going to do with you?" Killian said with a suggestive grin. Emma smirked but Regina's smile was replaced by a scowl.

"Really? Still with the "Evil" thing? I'll have you know I am now the least evil-" Emma stopped her with a kiss. Killian smiled and whispered in the occupied brunette's ear- "Your majesty, I dearly hope that's not true."

As Emma pulled away, a flush crept up Regina's neck. Emma rested her head on Regina's shoulder and looked at Killian with a wicked glint in her eye.

"Well Captain, I suppose we'll just have to find out."

_The End._

_Thank you to all of my faithful readers for sticking with me! I know it took me a while to get this whole story down, so thank you for your patience! A special thank you to those of you who commented and offered your support that way! Whether or not I know you IRL, knowing that you were anxiously waiting gave me the boosts to finish out this story, which was a true joy to write! I hope that this story inspires more growth for this ship, because I think it's an idea worth expanding! __J_


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